Mapping Economic Growth through Container Standardisation in Ancient Mediterranean Trade

Objective

NORMA aims to reassess the role of state intervention in Roman economic growth by investigating the standardisation of transport amphorae, essential for long-distance trade. The project focuses on the western Mediterranean during the Late Republic (2nd-1st century BCE), which was characterised by rapid economic growth and commercial expansion. NORMA will show that regional actors, rather than the state, were instrumental in increasing economic efficiency through the development of standardised transport containers. This standardisation was crucial in enabling trade integration and contributed to the long-term economic expansion of the Roman Empire. While current studies often emphasise the influence of the state, NORMA fills the gap in understanding the contributions of smaller, decentralised actors. These regional networks played a key role in improving production efficiency and expanding connectivity across the empire. Using digital tools such as network analysis, 3D modelling, and geographic information systems (GIS), coupled with new archaeological data obtained through innovative statistical methods, NORMA will map trade routes, reconstruct production systems, and identify key economic hotspots and distribution networks across the western Mediterranean. By means of this study, NORMA will demonstrate that standardisation resulted from the combined efforts of decentralised regional players. This changes our understanding of how ancient societies established connection and long-distance trade by repositioning standardisation as an active force behind economic integration and expansion. NORMA's results will contribute to broader debates in archaeology and economic history by revealing the mechanics underlying these processes and provide important insights into how non-state actors promoted economic growth in other past societies.